UP2 by Jawbone Activity + Sleep Tracker, Black Diamond, Classic Flat Strap

After using the tracker for almost a year I feel the need to update my review. IMO the tracker works very well it seems to be accurate in the number of steps and the sleep figures seem to be correct. Not sure about the exact numbers but it seems to be the accurate ballpark. I was worried about the usage in rain as it's not supposed to get wet but never caused any problems for me. Everyone should keep in mind that I try to protect the band as much as possible so the rain performance may not be applicable to everyone.I felt the need to downgrade my grading due to a couple issues. First of all the strap doesn't seem to hold up for long and mine broke from multiple places. The first one came after a few months of use and I have been gluing the tracker from every new crack and now it has three different locations. IMO this is not sustainable and after seeing a lot of people dealing with the same issue I think it's a fault in production.Another big issue is that the app is outdated. I'm using an Android phone and the app isn't listed as compatible with the newer versions. Normally it wouldn't be an issue but the app takes up too much of the battery life. After using a couple battery monitors I realized that almost 50% of my battery is wasted with the app that I open up only 3-4 times a day. If I manually stop the app (Force Stop in Android) the batter life doubles at the very least.Overall even though I like the tracker I wouldn't recommend this product due to terrible durability and app performance. I'm leaving my initial review just in case if anyone wants to see a short-term reaction to the band.------------------------I've had the tracker for about a month now and it has been an integral part of my life since I'm trying to be more active and the data helps a lot. I compared the data to an odometer on my GPS and the end results seem quite similar so I'm convinced of the accuracy. Normally I would just look at the hours of my sleep to get some idea but the tracker changed everything. The differentiation of sound and light sleep is a good indicator and as long as I can apply the sleep hints to my daily life I seem to be more relaxed in the mornings.I would consider the app to be the only down side of the product. I'm using the Jawbone app on my Android phone and the synchronization of the data is a big hassle at times. For some reason I cannot seem to be synchronizing previous days and the trackers doesn't always connect to the app easily. I'm not happy with the app but hopefully they will improve it with newer versions. Also the performance may be better in other environments (IOS or Windows may be) so if the app is a major factor then I would recommend consulting friends using those.

Like this tracker.It is unobtrusive and the band fits nicely.I have previously owned a Misfit Shine, which I liked for battery life and waterproof-ness but I lost it due to poor design of the wrist band. That's not acceptable for $100.Also used a Fitbit Surge HR for about 1 week and while the HR monitor was neat, it really didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I can check my own resting heart rate and honestly can do the same during exercise - it just didn't seem worth $150 even with the gift card I had used. It was also larger than the Up2.The Up2 is every bit as accurate as either of those trackers. It overestimates my 5 mile treadmill run, usually telling me about 5.7 but I use my Nike app and so I don't really care. Neither the Misfit or Fitbit got it right either.The sleep tracking is slick, notes deep and light sleep. Nice to work on sleep goals.My favorite features are the vibrating alarms. I use the smart alarm to wake me in the AM, it tries to wake you if it catches you in a lighter sleep phase in the waking time window you select.I can also set a reminder to buzz me to go get ready for bed if I lose track of time.Battery life is decent, over a week and charges easily with the USB magnetic dongle.The Up2 app is easy to use and navigate with nice graphics and easy to set up alarms and notifications.I did get this under a promotion but I'd be glad to spend $60 on this Up2 tracker, impressed for the price as well as decent accuracy, sleep tracking and the vibrating alerts.

Alright, just bought my second UP2, same style.The first one lasted about nine or ten months before the band developed a tear (right where the sensor is bonded with the band) and eventually broke. That's not unique apparently, as I discovered when I was trying to decide on a replacement, and even whether or not I wanted another fitness tracker. I also noticed the other things, like slow to load sleep results and the occasional coming loose and falling off during the night. And the apps a bit twitchy, with an overactive synch that likes to jump you back to the starting view when you're trying to read a note or interact with a "were you active?" message.All that being said, yes, again, I did buy another one of these. Why? Because it works, it's simple, it's accurate, and it very quickly helped me change my habits and keep them that way.The step tracker is great. You can set your own goals and it gives you a distinctive double pulse that cheers you when you've met them. It doesn't seem to count too much in the way of phantom steps, and I love how you can set it to remind you to move on a schedule, which I found has the added benefit of getting me up on weekends when I've chosen not to set my alarm.Instead, it waits until the 9-5pm time range I set, and then gives me the inactivity pulse at 9 and then every hour after (again, my choice). Weekend wake-up times are still a challenge for me, but this thing got me from waking at 2pm on Saturdays, to waking at 8:30 or 9am. That's huge. And on weekdays, I'm up at 7:34am every morning (I have it set to wake me at 7:30, or up to 20 minutes earlier when I'm in light sleep.). It's so much more relaxing to come awake in small increments that don't require me to keep hitting snooze, to wake up before the loud alarm goes off on my clock. That's a motivation in itself. I know that if I get up when my UP2 says to, I won't have to hear the alarm clock.You can see trends of everything you choose to track in the app. I thought when I first got this (the first time) that it would just keep track of steps, but the hugest benefit was all the sleep data. I thought I was getting eight hours of sleep, but I was always tired. With this, I discovered I wasn't falling asleep and staying asleep well, only getting 4-5 hours of actual sleep per night. It made some suggestions to improve that, which I followed, and now I get 7 or more each night and I feel the difference during the day.There's also a nifty food tracker, though I tend to only track foods for a week at a time every once in a while. It's pretty simple and has plenty of options in how to track portions. There's even a photo option for "something good" that I enjoyed, though I don't know how to go back and look at all the pretty food I've eaten.And, as for calories in/out, the food tracker works out the ins (though it's optional), and the activity tracker takes your data, steps, and other logged activities and gives you an estimated calorie burn for the day. Personally, I found that super helpful and motivational. Just look at all those calories I burn on run days, or days I lifted weights, or days I practiced karate. I want to do that again. I could eat that cake or I could do some extra squats at the printer, don't forget to log that. Yay, new best! Yeah, it just goes on like that, the internal monologue.So yeah, there are issues with this tracker. It's all or nothing when it goes on the fritz or wears out, and if you want a different look you basically just have to buy more UPs in the different fashions. But, it works and it's inexpensive. It's more useful than a wristwatch (even though it doesn't have a time readout) and cheaper than most of those. It pays for itself in better nights' sleep, more active days, and gentle reminders to get up and move, and it's much more attractive than the Fitbits, in my opinion.I'm hoping to get a year out of the one I just bought. We'll see.